Texas Border Business
| EDINBURG, Texas – Recent research shows the vast majority of lost pets are picked up less than a mile from their homes. When brought to the shelter, they are taken even farther from their homes. They have a much better chance of getting back home if they are kept in the neighborhood where they were found for at least 48 hours. After seeing the success of other organizations in the US to increase the return-to-home rate of lost pets, PVAS will be implementing a Wait for 48 program in June to see if the same success can be achieved in the RGV. “If someone finds a pet, we want to keep them in the neighborhood,” says Director of Operations Faith Wright, “but that doesn’t mean we aren’t going to help. We can provide food and lend out supplies to anyone who finds a lost pet and can care for them for at least 48 hours.” In addition to housing the pet, we’ll be asking finders to walk a found dog around the neighborhood and post the pet’s picture and where they were found to Nextdoor, Facebook, Petco Love Lost, and other neighborhood social media platforms. When possible, we’ll also encourage finders to bring the pet to our shelter or a veterinarian’s office to scan for a microchip and file a found report through our website at www.pvstx.org/foundpets. In our shelter, the typical reclaim rate is only 10% when a pet comes into the shelter. Other communities who have implemented a Wait for 48 program have seen their return to home rates jump to 70%, and we are hopeful to see a significant increase in the RGV as well. “It’s so scary when a pet gets lost,” says Wright, “and one of our top priorities is helping people and pets be reunited. We are very excited about increasing the number of lost pets who can be reunited with their families.” |
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